Sunday morning ride - 1st June

We had a good turn out with some old members of the NP Mountainbikers club showing up for a recreational ride around the MTB trails within the Lake Mangamahoe Forest.

We had a look around all the trails and there were a few spills. We checked out the track marking for the new tracks at the northern end of the forest. It was dry enough to ride down the skidding tracks left by the loggers.

Proposed New Cemeteries Plan impacts on Mangamahoe MTB Facilities

The New Plymouth District Council has released its draft master plan for cemeteries including the new district cemetery which will be sited at the southern end of Lake Mangamahoe Forest near Egmont Village.

Part of the proposed cemetery if implemented according to the draft plan, will from 2013 take over land currently used by recreational mountain bikers riding on trails recently created by the us.

These trails have been created in response to the loss of trails in the northern area of the forest due to logging of mature pine trees.

Recent events run in this area include the Taranaki Masters Games cross country, Taranaki Secondary Schools cross country and the Sparc Get2Go Challenge for secondary schools.

We urge the mountain biking public to submit online and recommend to the council that the loss of current MTB facilities proposed in the draft plan needs to be offset by the council supplying improved MTB access to the areas closer to the Waiwhakaiho River that is not suitable for either coffin or cremation ash interments.

Also cemeteries are also usually provided with running water for hand washing etc and the council should be prompted to extend this facility to provide for drinking water and bike washing facilities as additional compensation.

The draft plan and maps can be downloaded from the NPDC website:

http://www.newplymouthnz.com/HaveYourSay/Consultation/ProposedDistrictCemetery.htm

Have your say about the draft master plan of the new district cemetery by using the online submission form.

Feedback closes: 5 pm on Wednesday 4 June.

The public's feedback will be considered and a report will go to the full council in August.

Sunday morning ride - 25th May

We had 15 riders come out and do the Huatoki Pathway, Bendell's Walk loop, down the top of the Te Henui Pathway where some split off and carried on down the Te Henui to the Foreshore while others went across to the Waiwhakaiho River.

There we looked at the top of the current path and how it could be extended around further by the river towards the Merrilands Domain. Then we headed down the river to the netball courts, round Lake Rotomanu and back down the Coastal Pathway.

Committee meeting 14th May

The meeting was on the 14th May at Sport Taranaki, starting 7.30 pm.

April's meeting's minutes:

http://www.drivehq.com/file/df.aspx/publish/Rocket_Engineer/PublicFolder/2008%2004%20Committee%20Minutes.pdf

Minutes for the May meeting posted above.

Sunday morning ride - 4th May

Meeting Time was 9am at the Wind Wand on the Foreshore Coastal Pathway.

We got 12 riders along and we had a trip around the New Plymouth western trails. Some went on off-road trails they hadn't been on before and we all had a good time too!

Watch out for the notice for the next ride.

Karla in the recovery position.